The Tom Hanks I’m talking about is a young pitbull mix, and he lives at a shelter run by the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

Clown Shoes, through its new “Minor Miracle” fund, is assisting the rescue league to find the puppy a permanent home.

“I always dreamed, if I was ever successful, that I’d want to give back, and not only be charitable, but to really help the community,” said Clown Shoes owner Gregg Berman.

Berman’s businesses, which also include Arborway Imports and Berman’s Wines & Spirits in Lexington, Mass., have all been successful.

So Berman said he and his wife, Sakina Berman, have started the Minor Miracle Fund.

“I’m in a very fortunate position,” said Berman. “I have several different businesses that are doing fairly well. Clown Shoes has really taken off.”

Working with the Animal Rescue League of Boston is the first of the Minor Miracle Fund’s projects, Berman said.

Later this year, Berman said he hopes to start offering college scholarships.

“We’re going to probably break it down into $5,000 scholarships at a time,” said Berman. “We’re going to reach out to the financial aid institutions.”

To help raise money for the Minor Miracle Fund, Clown Shoes has released a beer called Miracle, with $1 per case and $5 per keg sold going to the fund.

The beer is a 5.5 percent alcohol by volume IPA. Berman calls it a “sessionable IPA” with a lot of flavor.

The label features an illustration of Mike Pettengill, one of Clown Shoes’ employees, dressed as a superhero, carrying a dog.

“He’s such a special person,” said Berman. “He’s really a person I view as a do-gooder, and he kind of embodies what we’re trying to do here.”

To help grow the fund, Berman said he is hoping to team up with corporations to have them match the funds so they can offer more scholarships as they continue on.

But for now, Berman said Clown Shoes is working to find Tom Hanks a home.

Clown Shoes originally called the Animal Rescue League with their plan, and initially tried to find another pitbull mix, Freckles, a home. However, the first day they posted a video of Freckles, he was adopted by someone else, so they moved on to Tom Hanks, Berman said.

They have a created a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ClownShoesMiracleFund, that has a video of the young pup.

And if anyone is interested in adopting him, Clown Shoes will pay the approximate $200 adoption fee. Berman said he hopes Clown Shoes can get six or seven dogs adopted a year.

Page 2 of 2 - “The main thing on my brain is finding him a home,” said Berman. “Every day, when I wake up, I think, ‘We have to find Tom a home,’" said Berman. “We’ll have to work on it. He would make someone a great puppy.

“If we can’t get it done through a Facebook page, we’ll be making flyers and putting them out. We’re taking this seriously and we want to find Tom Hanks a home. He’s a really nice, friendly dog.”